Chapter 4 Route Window NE3 Manor Park station
MANOR PARK STATION 4 Route Window NE3 Manor Park station 4.7 Highway access to Manor Park station is very good. A117 Station Road connects with A116 to the north and A118 to the south. There are double yellow lines outside the station. At the time of a recent survey, however, cars frequently stopped there to drop passengers off or pick them up. Whitta Road, a residential street to the north of the station, is used for the same purpose. Introduction 4.1 All construction activities in this route window are associated with Manor Park station, where it is necessary to lengthen the platforms on the proposed Crossrail lines and to remove the existing goods loop. 4.2 The Crossrail project will enhance public transport capacity between Manor Park and Stratford, the City and West End. New and faster direct travel opportunities will be available from the City, West End, and points west to Maidenhead and Heathrow. Table 4.1 gives typical journey time improvements. 4.3 One construction worksite is proposed for the works in this route window. The worksite is located to the east of the station, as shown on Map NE3 (iv). 4.4 The works are expected to take about one year, during which time rail passengers using the station will be unaffected. 4.5 The drawings provided at the end of this chapter present the main features of the route window, construction lorry routes assessed, existing facilities in the vicinity of Manor Park station and transport linkages. Baseline conditions 4.6 This route window is in the London Borough of Newham. Manor Park station is a small commuter station and within Travelcard zone 3. The area around the station is a mixture of residential, commercial and light industrial use. Manor Park is about 50 m north of the station. The City of London Cemetery is situated alongside Manor Park on the opposite side of A116 Aldersbrook Road, Manor Park Cemetery is located to the west of the station, and Wanstead Flat is to the north of Manor Park Cemetery. Figure 4.1 Station entrance, Station Road 4.8 A118 Romford Road, south of the station, is an important east west corridor in this area. It connects A406 in the east to A11 to the west. Traffic volumes on Romford Road are generally high at all times, particularly during the morning and evening peak hours. Romford Road is a two-way road, with two lanes (one of which is a bus lane) in each direction. The eastbound bus lane (towards Ilford) operates from 0700 to 1000 hours and from 1600 to 1900 hours, Monday to Saturday. The westbound bus lane (towards Forest Gate) operates from 0700 to 1000 hours, Monday to Friday. Romford Road is part of the LCN Route 12. 4.9 Manor Park station is on the Liverpool Street to Shenfield line (the Great Eastern Main Line). Rail services are scheduled at five minutes to Stratford and 12 minutes to Liverpool Street with six trains per hour in the morning peak period. 4.10 There are currently five bus routes that serve the station with a frequency of 34 buses per hour in both directions in the morning peak period. 4.11 Station Road operates as a two-way road, with a single lane in both directions. It forms part of several bus routes and has bus stops on both sides of the station. These provide rail interchange at Manor Park station. 4.12 There is no taxi rank at Manor Park station, though there is a minicab firm based at the station. This is clearly signed inside and outside the station. NE3 page 3
ROUTE WINDOW NE3 4.13 There is no off-street car parking within 15 minutes walk of Manor Park station, but there is plenty of on-street parking on the residential roads around the station. 4.14 There are two loop stands and two wall brackets for bicycles inside the station. Two bicycles were occupying them at the time of survey. There are notices advising of cycle parking at the station. The nearest cycle parking outside the station is five minutes walk away at the junction of Romford Road and Station Road south of the station, where there are three cycle racks for two cycles each. No cycles were occupying these stands at the time of the survey. Station Road forms part of the LCN Route 12. 4.15 There is a pedestrian island crossing outside the station on Station Road and a zebra crossing approximately 40 metres south of the station. 4.16 There is no mobility impaired passenger access at Manor Park station. The permanent works 4.17 Platforms are proposed to be lengthened to accommodate 10-car Crossrail trains. The Great Eastern Main Line platforms (platform 1 and the island platform 2/3) will be extended westwards and eastwards to a total length 205 m. Platform 1 will be widened. 4.18 Additional lighting will be provided to extend over the whole length of the longer platforms. Platform furniture will be upgraded; this work will include the provision of new seats and/or waiting shelters as appropriate, and upgrading of platform signs and CCTV coverage. The signalling and overhead line equipment will be altered to suit the extended platforms. 4.19 The footbridge at the eastern end of the station between platform 1 and platform 2/3 will be modified. 4.20 The track that passes south of platform 1 (the Up Independent Goods Loop ) will be removed from Forest Gate to a point east of Manor Park station to facilitate the station improvements. A replacement goods loop will be constructed between Chadwell Heath and Goodmayes. 4.21 Works at this site will be carried out from within the existing fenced boundary of the railway and will include a site at the eastern end of Manor Park station. The worksite will be accessible from Station Road. A section of Manor Park Road will be used temporarily to accommodate a mobile crane. 4.22 The main construction plant to be used at the worksite will include cranes, excavators, mini piling rigs and mechanical breakers. The track to be removed from the site will be taken by rail to a suitable railhead for disposal. Most other large items of plant and materials will be removed by rail, although some (including excavated materials) will be removed by road. 4.23 During the peak period of construction, the number of two-way lorry movements generated by the worksite will be about 10 per day, and about two per day at other times. Worksite assessment Manor Park Station worksite 4.24 The station stands at the north end of a bridge carrying Station Road over the railway. The construction works will take place within railway land. The worksite is on railway land adjacent to the Great Eastern Main Line, northeast of the Station Road bridge (see Map NE3 (iv)). It is intended that it will serve as a central materials and plant storage depot for the works to Manor Park station, Forest Gate station (Route Window NE2) and Ilford station (Route Window NE4). At present the site is occupied by a private storage company. 4.25 Access to the worksite is from Station Road (see fig. 4.2). The present layout would make it difficult for lorries to get into the site and manoeuvre once inside, so the entrance will need to be modified. For the same reason it may be necessary to move the bus stop by the entrance. These arrangements will be agreed with the London Borough of Newham and TfL. The operation of this worksite will not cause any significant traffic impact. Figure 4.2 Station Road, access to Manor Park Station worksite 4.26 It is possible to access the worksite from Romford Road via Station Road, but right turns from Romford Road (east side) into Station Road are prohibited. Therefore, the proposed lorry route is such that lorries will enter the site from the north (via Forest Drive) and leave the site to the south (via Station Road). NE3 page 4
MANOR PARK STATION 4.27 It is envisaged that a mobile crane will be used to lift part of the new footbridge into place from the adjacent road (Manor Park Road). The work is expected to be done outside normal working hours and at weekends. Cranes will be deployed under possessions of the railway. 4.28 Parking restrictions will be required in areas of Station Road and during the operations carried out from Manor Park Road. Any local traffic management will be agreed with the London Borough of Newham. 4.29 The worksite will provide parking for 10 cars. Beyond the car park there will be a two-storey office unit and a single-storey canteen. Plant and materials will be stored to the east of the site, with direct access to the railway line. Lorry routes assessment 4.30 The lorry routes will access the worksite from the north via A12 Eastern Avenue (TLRN), A114, A116, Forest Drive and Station Road. This is because right turns from Romford Road into Station Road are prohibited. Vehicles will leave the site southbound on Station Road and then go then east towards Ilford via Romford Road, and on to A406, which forms part of the TLRN. 4.31 The total number of lorry movements associated with works for Manor Park station is approximately 600. It is predicted there will be approximately 10 lorry movements a day for the estimated 10-week peak construction period. 4.32 No significant traffic and transportation issues are apparent in Route Window NE3, though the entrance to the worksite will need to be improved (see 4.25). Mitigation and temporary impacts 4.33 There are no significant construction impacts to note in Route Window NE3, hence no mitigation is required. Mitigation and permanent impacts 4.34 The significant operational impacts and mitigation measures are indicated in Table 4.2. 4.35 There is one significant impact to note at Manor Park, relating to public transport. 4.36 Passenger numbers with Crossrail are expected to increase by about 1600 passengers entering and 100 passengers leaving the station in the morning peak period (a 155 per cent increase twoway on the without Crossrail scenario). The 2016 with Crossrail flows predicted at the station are about 2800 two-way between 0700 and 1000 hours. The existing station building will provide sufficient capacity for the forecast passengers. However, there may be impacts on the local transport infrastructure in the vicinity of the station. 4.37 There are measures that can be carried out for the benefit of road users and pedestrians that will mitigate the impacts of additional passenger use at the station; these however will require further consents to be obtained before they can be implemented. In line with the approach set out in Volume 8a, an assessment of the impact of Crossrail has been carried out that assumes that such measures are in place. 4.38 Traffic levels are forecast to increase significantly on Forest Drive, north of Whitta Road during the morning peak hour. This would result in a flow of about 860 vehicles two-way, an extra 23 per cent of traffic. Similarly, traffic flows on Station Road are forecast to increase by ten per cent to a flow of about 570 vehicles two-way in the morning peak hour. It is considered that both of these links will continue to operate within highway capacity and the increases will not have any adverse effect on traffic operation. The London Borough of Newham is currently considering introducing controlled parking zones in the vicinity of stations such as Manor Park, which may result in a decrease in the number of car trips made to the station in future, compared to the existing number 4.39 Significant impacts on rail users are forecast at Manor Park. Rail passengers are forecast to experience significant journey time benefits. These are discussed below. Impact on rail journey times 4.40 Table 4.1 sets out representative journey time savings between Manor Park and selected stations during the morning peak period. They are typical of the journey time benefits to many of the stations on Crossrail. Table 4.1 Journey time savings (platform-to-platform) to and from Manor Park station From/to Heathrow Tottenham Court Road From Manor Park To Manor Park Farringdon Without Crossrail 62 26 26 22 With Crossrail 54 18 15 17 Saving (minutes) 8 8 11 5 Canary Wharf Saving (%) 13% 30% 42% 21% Without Crossrail 57 31 22 24 With Crossrail 50 18 15 17 Saving (minutes) 7 13 7 7 Saving (%) 12% 42% 32% 29% NE3 page 5
ROUTE WINDOW NE3 Table 4.2 Route Window NE3 Permanent impacts Potential impact Significance Committed mitigation Station impacts OT5 Traffic levels OT1a OT1a Public transport OT2c Significant increase (+155%) in passenger movements during the peak period: about 1600 more passengers entering the station and about 100 more leaving. Forest Drive, north of Whitta Road, 23 per cent increase in traffic flows to about 860 vehicles twoway in the morning peak hour Station Road, 10 per cent increase in traffic flows to about 570 vehicles twoway in the morning peak hour Improved journey time see journey times table Significant Significant Significant An appropriate package of mitigation measures will be developed in due course to address pedestrian and highway impacts. This package will require further consents to be obtained. Please refer to 4.37. Traffic can be accommodated within current highway capacity Traffic can be accommodated within current highway capacity Residual impact Description N/a N/a N/a Significance Nonsignificant Nonsignificant Nonsignificant Significant N/a N/a Significant NE3 page 6